Written Answers Monday 7 April 2008

Scottish Executive

Care of Elderly People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will fully fund free personal care for the elderly on the basis of the eligibility criteria contained in existing legislation.

Shona Robison: The Independent Funding Review on Free Personal and Nursing Care, chaired by Lord Sutherland, is currently investigating both the level and distribution of resources to local authorities for free personal and nursing care. The Review will not only look back at the previous allocations, but forward to how we deliver effective and sustainable long-term care for Scotland’s ageing population.

  We will consider the findings and recommendations of the review when it reports.

Care of Elderly People

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether free personal care includes assistance with trimming nails.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are obliged to provide free assistance with trimming nails where an individual has been assessed as requiring such assistance.

Shona Robison: Yes. Schedule 1 of the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 states that keeping fingernails and toenails trimmed should not be charged for.

External Relations

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which parts of China the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning plans to visit in April 2008.

Fiona Hyslop: I plan to visit Beijing, Shandong Province and Shanghai.

External Relations

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive who the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning plans to meet during her visit to China in April 2008.

Fiona Hyslop: I plan to meet with the Ministry of Education in Beijing as well as education authorities in Shandong Province and Shanghai. I will also meet the British Ambassador while I am in Beijing. My itinerary includes visits to the partners of Scottish education institutions and organisations as well as meetings with life sciences business contacts.

Islands

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with (a) Orkney Islands Council and (b) COSLA regarding concerns about underfunding of Orkney Islands Council.

John Swinney: I met a delegation from Orkney Islands Council on 28 February 2008. Among the matters discussed was the additional £1 million in funding which we have now included as part of the council’s overall grant, to support the costs of internal ferry services.

  Orkney Islands Council will receive over £230 million in funding from the Scottish Government over the next three years. The core revenue funding to the Council for 2008-09 will increase by 7 per cent, the second highest increase in Scotland. Local authorities, including Orkney Islands Council, are receiving record levels of investment from the Scottish Government along with more freedom and flexibility than ever before.

Islands

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers Orkney Islands Council to be underfunded in comparison with other local authorities.

John Swinney: The distribution of funding to local authorities is through a needs-based formula, which is agreed with COSLA. This formula takes into account Orkney Islands Council’s need to provide services to its island communities which is recognised through the inclusion of the Special Islands Needs Allowance within the distribution formula.

  Orkney Islands Council will receive a 7 per cent increase in core revenue funding in 2008-09, which is the second highest increase to any council in Scotland.

Islands

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it recognises that island local authorities, such as Orkney Islands Council, have particular difficulties in delivering services across numerous islands.

John Swinney: Local authorities with island communities receive additional provision through the Special Islands Needs Allowance (SINA) within the local government funding distribution formula. Orkney Islands Council will receive an additional £5.8 million through SINA in each of the three years of the financial settlement for 2008-11.

NHS Finance

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9957 by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 February 2008, what the initial allocations of revenue to NHS Tayside were in each year from 2004-05 to 2008-09 expressed at constant prices.

Nicola Sturgeon: The initial revenue allocations to NHS Tayside from 2004-05 expressed in constant prices have been:

  

 Year
 Baseline Allocation
 Allocation at Constant Prices (2006-07)


£000
£000


 2004-05
 429,648
 451,311


 2005-06
 485,260
 499,182


 2006-07
 516,958
 516,958


 2007-08
 549,382
 532,089


 2008-09
 566,400
 533,889

NHS Finance

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the year-end overspend or underspend has been for NHS Tayside in each of the last four financial years.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Tayside has had a year-end underspend for the last four financial years which are specified in the following table:

  

 Year
£000


 2003-04
 4,298


 2004-05
 4,460


 2005-06
 1,141


 2006-07
 3,080

Whisky Industry

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made, or will make, an assessment of the impact on the Scottish economy, particularly on the whisky industry, of the tax changes announced in the UK Budget on 12 March 2008.

John Swinney: Whisky and the wider spirits industry make a vital contribution to the Scottish economy. The effect on the whisky industry and the wider Scottish economy of the increase in excise duty announced at budget 2008 will not be known fully for some time. We are exploring ways to assess the long-term impact of this announcement.

  The Scottish Government works very closely with the Scotch whisky industry and we will continue to express our support for the taxation of spirits based on their alcohol content.